High aperture collimating lens system



Patented Aug. 12, 1947 UNITED" STATES PATENT orries HIGH APERTURE COLLMATIN G LENS SYSTEIH I willy Schade, Rochester, N. Y., asslgnor to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester,

poration of New Jersey Application November 27, 1943, Serial No. 511,964

9 Claims.

This invention relates to high aperture collimating lens systems, such as those used in reflex sights.

An object of the invention is to provide a high aperture collimating lens system extremely well corrected for spherical aberration and coma so that when it is used in a reflex sight the shape and position of the reticle image do not change when the eye moves about.

Collimatorobjectives have long been used for producing a parallel beam of light from a point source for optical signaling and for producing (ores-s1) known before, have an inward curving held and an artificial star image and for other purposes.v

When a large linear aperture is required, it is usual to make the focal length of the collimator objective longer and keep the relative aperture about the same. For some purposes, however, this takes up too much space and is impractical, for example in reflex sights for airplanes. the other hand, if the relative aperture is greatly increased, the space occupied could be kept small, but all collimator lenses known heretofore have been aiilicted so badly with zonal spherical aberrations as to make them unsatisfactory formany purposes.

For clarity it is pointed out that the convention used in the following description i that of considering the reticle as being behind the collimator N. Y., a cortive. Objectives with a smaller aperture can usually be made satisfactorily with fewer components.

To cover more than a very narrow angular field, I find it convenient to combine with the objective a field correcting lens consisting of a single positive element close to and in front of the focal plane. This improves the image of points of! the axis by correctinga small residueof oblique spherical aberration.

These collimating lens systems, like others undercorrected Petzval sum. Consequently, a reticle on a plane surface at the principal focus would appear at infinity for the axial point, but

the points off the axis would appear to be beyond to appear exactly at infinity.

lens and the observer as looking into the front.

The light source may be behind the reticle, or the reticle may be a surfaceparts of whose area reflect light while other parts are substantially non-reflecting, in which case the reticle is illuminated from the front through the collimator lens.

According to the present invention, a very high aperture collimator objective, extremely well corrected for spherical aberration and coma, is made up comprising three positive components of which the front one is biconvex with its more strongly curved surface to the front and'each of the other two is a meniscus with its front surface mo'restrongly convex than that of the component immediately in front of it, two of the three components being compound, each consisting of a vbiconvex element cemented onto the front of a negative element whose refractive index is higher on the average for the two components by at least 0.05, and in which the axial thickness of each component is greater than either air space between the components. Preferably the two compound components are specifically the two meniscus components. Also if the latter arrangement is employed, the radius of curvature of each of the two cemented surfaces should be greater than that of eitherof the other two surfaces of the same component.

This structure is especially useful for collimator objectives having apertures greater than twothirds the equivalent focal length of the objecinfinity. In certain preferred cases this diiilculty is overcome. If the reticle is to consist of lines crossing each other at the axis, these lines are engraved or otherwise marked on a curved surface substantially matching the sagittal ileld curve. 0n the other hand, if the reticle consists of concentric circles, these are engraved or otherwise marked on a curved surface substantially:

matching the tangential field 'curve. By this means the whole reticle is made in these cases The accompanying drawing shows a lens system according to the invention and numerical data for a preferred embodiment. This data is repeated here:

This objective consists of abiconvex front component, lens I, and two meniscus compound components, and the field correcting lens is the positive component, lens VI. The reticle in this case is illuminated from behind and consists of concentric rings which are engraved on a concave surface Ru whose radius of curvature is 0.52 times the focal length of the objective. This is approximately the curvature of the tangential even illumination. The front surfaces of all the lens components are progressively morestrongly.

curved in the order of their arrangement fromfront to rear. The cemented surfaces- -have-- longer radii of curvaturethan the respective;

outer surfaces of the same components, and the,

index difference at the cemented surfaces are respectively 0203 and 0.006, so that, the average.

arejthel adii of curvatur of the refractive surfaces, t1 to to are the thicknesses of the elements.

..-81 to s: are the air spaces, and the and "*signs indicate concave to the front.

"1. A high aperture collimating lens system comprisingafour positive components of which 1 the front oneyls biconvex with its more strongly curved' surface to the front, the second and third index difference is 0.105. The three'componentsof the objective are each thicker than either airy spaceeiorsa. I

, I wish to point out that the invention i not restrictedto -the example shown, but is of the scope of the'appended claims.

WhatIclaimis:

1. A high'aperture collimator objective comprising three positive components of which the front one is biconvex with its mdre strongly curved surface to t'he front and each of the other two is a meniscus with its front surface more strongly convex to the front than the front fsur; face of the. component immediately'in front of it, the two meniscus components being .com-. pound "andeach' consisting of a bi-convex element cemented onto the front of a negative ele-.

convex elements on the average for the two comare compound meniscus components each with its front surface more strongly convex than that of the component immediately in front of it and each consisting of a biconvex element cemented to the front of a biconcave element whose'refractive index is. higher than that. of the bi,-

pound components by-atleast 0.05, -and the fourth. component is a simple, positive'element lyingwholiy within a distancein front of: the focal plane smaller than its separation from the third component, the thickness of each of the first three components being g'reater-than either 5 of the two airspaces between 'themt-andthe ment whose refractive index is hiher than. that ofthe biconvex elements on the average; forthe two components by at least 0.05; and in which theaxial ,thickness'of each component is greater than either airspace between the components.

2. A collimator objective according to claim 1 in'which the radius ofcurvature of each of the two cemented surfaces is greater than that of either of the other two surfaces of the same J Y component.-

3. A collimatorobjective according to claim 1 having an aperture greater than two-thirds the, equivalent focal length of the objective.

4. A lens system consisting of acollimator objective accordingto claim land a positive component consisting of a single positive element close'to and-in front of the'focal plane of the objective.

5. A collimator objective according to claim 1 having an inwardcurving tangential field image and combined with a reticle consisting of concentric circles on a curved surface substantially matching the curvature of the tangential image.

1 6. A lens system substantially according to the specifications shown in the following table:

Lens N V Radii Thicknesaes L 1.62 64 h-OJMF Rw-SJF H 1 62 64 t -OAEF III. 1.72 29 h-OJOF Ru i-2.31 Re +071 8: =O.04F

IV 1. 61 61 t -0.37F

R -l.6F

V l. 62 37 t -0.09F

Rs-=.-H.0F R ,.+04F l=0.31F

v1 1.52 64 .-o.o9r

where F is the focal length ofthe objective, the refractive. indexN-refers to the Dlineiqf the spectrum, is the dispersive 'inden Ri to Rio.

radius of curvature or each of the two cemented surfaces being reater-than that ;of-feither-: of I the other two surfaces of the. same component. 8. A collimating lens system according to claim '7, having ,an inward curving tangential .field l amaze and combined .with a-reticle consisting of image. 9..A.hig'h ap erture lying, entirely in front ofthe. focal plane andconconcentric circles on a curved surface vsubstam.

optical,icollimating si 'sten'i sisting of: an objective and a field correctinglens,

theobjective consisting of. a plurality of positive components each convex to the front of which at least one is compound and each is thicker-than any airspace between them, and; the field correcting lens consisting of. a simple positive ele-' ment. of which the focal power isthetweenjone and two times thatofthe objectiveend ofwhich the front surface is convex and the rear surface a has dioptric power numerically :less thanonehalf that of the correcting lens as .a whole, and which is separated from the rear. surface of the objective by a distance greater than its own thickness and lies wholly within a distanceof the focal, planeless than one-half the radius of curvature of its convex front surface.

WILLY SCHADE.

' REFERENCES ci'rnn followingreferen'ces' are of record in the file ofthis' patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number. Name Date 2,003,881 Grossett et' a1. June 4,1935 2,160,202 ,Fieux May 30, 1939 1,610,532 Russell et al Dec. 14, 1926 1,897,262 Kitroser Feb. 14, 1933 1,539,579 Kucharski May 26,1925 1,910,115 Luboshez May 23-, 1933 2,206,155 Boegehold; July 2, 1940 1,476,717 Kandler. et ai Dec. 11, 1923 2,050,024 Eionnefeld Aug. 4, 1936 2,324,081 Herzberger July 13, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date France Jan. 5, 1930 respectively surfaces convex and ti 11y matching.- the curvature ofv the tangential; 

